1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to terminally blocked alkyl polyethylene glycol ethers in aqueous polymer dispersions and latices to provide them with certain advantageous properties.
2. Statement of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,729 relates to the use of polyethylene glycol ethers corresponding to the following formula EQU R.sub.1 --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n--R.sub.2
in which R.sub.1 is a linear or branched C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 alkyl or alkenyl radical, R.sub.2 is a C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 alkyl radical and n is a number of from 7 to 12,as foam inhibiting additives for low-foam cleaning preparations. The field of application envisaged is, in particular, institutional and industrial cleaning preparations, for example for the cleaning of metal, glass, ceramic, and plastic surfaces. Compared with known foam-inhibiting additives based on adducts of alkylene oxides of inorganic compounds containing reactive hydrogen atoms in the molecule, of the type described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,029, German Patent No. 1,621,592, U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,737, German Pat. No. 1,621,593 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,057, the compounds corresponding to the above formula are distinguished by the fact that they are also biodegradable, their biological degradability as determined by the stipulated methods corresponding to a BiAS removal of more than 80%.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,729 describes the use of the polyethylene glycol ethers corresponding to the above formula in admixture with polyethylene glycol ethers obtained by addition of from 4 to 20 parts by weight of ethylene oxide onto 1 part by weight of polyglycerol having a hydroxyl value of from 900 to 1200 and subsequent etherification of the free hydroxyl groups with C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 alkyl halides. The preparation of such polyglycerol/ethylene oxide ethers and their use are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,740.